Second Chance
by PonderingChibi
Summary: Picking up exactly where the anime ended, Takuto experiences his second chance at life as a human.
1. Memories

"M-Mitsuki." The word stumbled clumsily out of my mouth.

Tears started streaming down Mitsuki's gentle smile. "Takuto-" she choked and fell onto her knees.

"H-hey, are you alright?!" I quickly knelt beside her. "What is it, what's wrong?!"

A small squeak emerged from the young girl's throat as she grasped it. She looked up at me, still smiling. There was a silent pause between us, and slowly... gently... Mitsuki reached her arms up to my face. My heart throbbed as her delicate hands brushed my ears. I closed my eyes and held my breathe. _Wait... who is this girl?_ I thought I knew. _Her name is Mitsuki, that I know, so why can't I remember anything else about her?_

It didn't matter. I felt warm. I felt safe.

Her hands trembled as they made fists behind my back and pulled. I wanted to know who she was. This soft face. This warm skin. This sweet smelling hair. This fragile body. I grabbed it all tight so it would never leave me.

"But how?" She winced. Talking seemed to cause her a lot of pain. "I thought you were-"

"Thought I was what?" I slipped out of her hug and looked into her eyes. Did she know me?

Tears again welled up in the corner of here eyes. "I thought you became a ghost-" She held a hand to her throat.

"A ghost?" I accidentally let out a chuckle. I inwardly scolded myself as I spoke. "Ghosts don't exist."

"What... What do you mean, Takuto?" Concern swelled in her face.

"H-hey..." I scratched the back of my head. "Y'know. I don't have any memories of who I was..."

A quick glimpse of my past flashed in my eyes. I was at a concert, and- It left as soon as it came.

"Mitsuki! You know, so tell me! Who am I, and why don't I remember anything?"

She gazed at me silently. I could swear I saw thoughts floating through her eyes as I held her arms. "Mitsuki, I-" She held a hand up to stop me.

Her fingers brushed across her neck as she mulled over whether to speak or not. She looked at the ground and back up at me. "Follow me." She wrapped her fingers around mine and gently pulled as she spun and began to walk.

I paused and looked back. back to the house I had been staying at. That family were all I knew. But I wanted to see things that I knew before. I softened my stance and allowed Mitsuki's grasp to pull me away.

Gradually, our walk had gotten faster and soon became a sprint. I wanted to stop the little girl from going so fast; Her breath was becoming hoarse, and worry squeezed my stomach. I couldn't slow her down, though. Her eyes looked so intently towards her destination, I didn't have the heart.

My mind winced as my fist hit the table. "You can't be serious. You expect me to believe that I'm a death spirit?! You gotta be kidding me!" What she told me felt right somehow, but how could that be possible? Things like that don't exist in the real world.

Mitsuki has a friend. Two friends. Apparently she knew them both before the were engaged, and before they even knew each other. I did wonder why Mitsuki was friends with two middle-aged adults, but it was soon to be explained. Dr. Keiichi Wakaoji and Miss Masami Oshige - soon to be Mrs. Wakaoji. Oshige lives a small distance away from Mitsuki's house, and both of them had insisted I stay with Oshige until things were sorted out.

Mitsuki Koyama was her full name. She recently went through surgery, which is why her voice was gone when we first spoke. It had mostly healed by then, and she could finally talk to me without much pain.

For most of her life, Mitsuki had been struggling with cancer in her throat. Her only wish was to sing, and according to her, I helped her achieve that dream.

Her story explains that once upon a time, before Mistuki was born, I was a member of a famous band, Route L, along with her father and his best friend, Keiichi Wakaoji. I found it strange that there were no photos of this band to prove I was in it. As the story continues, I suffered from the same cancer as Mitsuki. When I found that my options were death or losing my voice forever, I chose death. Singing was the one thing that gave my life meaning, and without it, I saw no option but to throw myself off a cliff, along with my motorcycle. Apparently.

"They do exist! You existed!"

I sighed and looked the other way. "Try to look at this from my point of view. For all I know, This could be a big practical joke you're playing on me to take advantage of my amnesia." I could feel her sadness. I could feel her choking her tears back. It hurt me. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but this is a lot to chew on."

The thing that bothered me was that Masami, a full-grown woman, backed up everything Mitsuki said. They both agreed that these death spirits, or shinigami, come about when someone takes their own life. They become shinigami as punishment, and are doomed to take the life of others, when their time comes. If a shinigami remembers their past life, they become a ghost. This is what supposedly happened to me. I used my shinigami powers to occasionally turn Mitsuki into a 16 year old pop star, Full Moon. As we faced different difficulties together, we grew closer, and I developed feelings for Mitsuki. I defied the fate of a death spirit and vowed to protect Mitsuki instead of killing her.

Because singing had so much to do with my past, I began regaining my memories. Her story seemed ridiculous. It all seemed so fake and magical.

"I'm not lying, Takuto! Meroko went to the spirit world and got a flower for you that would erase your memories! That way you wouldn't become a ghost!" Mitsuki cried out. Meroko. Mitsuki said Meroko was my partner shinigami, who had agreed to help me save Mitsuki. As her story continued, it revealed that the flower came too late. I began to disappear as the effects of the flower kicked in. And that was as far as Mitsuki knew. That day she had had the surgery. And never heard from me or Meroko until the day we saw each other earlier this week. She claimed that Meroko possessed a toy and led her to me.

It was just to much. It all felt right, and somehow familiar, but maybe it was just my mind, void of memories, grasping for information about myself. But why would she trick me? And why would Oshige agree?

"Takuto… I…" Her cheeks became flushed. "I love you."

I saw her. I saw Mitsuki singing on that stage. She looked so beautiful, swaying back and forth. The lyrics of that song I once sung spilled sweetly from her lips. I sighed in an effort to break the silence between me and Meroko. She looked at me and smiled. It was a pitiful smile. I knew that she didn't really want me to lose my memory. I knew that she was the one who would have to deal with my confused self when it happened. She would have to tell me everything. She would have to deal with me refusing to believe her. And so would Mitsuki.

I stumbled backwards as the memory hit me. "No…" It couldn't actually be true, could it? "No… No!" They don't exist! Shinigami don't exist!

I felt a warm touch to the back of my neck. It was Meroko. I knew it was Meroko.

"That's right." I couldn't tell if the sound was Meroko's voice or the ringing of my ears.

"Takuto? Takuto wake up. It's me." Keiichi's voice filled my head. I moaned and rolled over. "It's me, Wakoiji."

"Keiichi, you jerk. 5 more minutes." I grumbled. Who cared about deadlines. Sleep was much more important.

Keiichi laughed and patted my back. "He's alright, Mitsuki. I think his memories are coming back."

That's right! I sat up as fast as I could and turned to Keiichi. "Where is she?! Where's Mitsuki?!" He smiled an pointed to the left. My eyes followed his finger to reveal that beautiful, wonderful, girl.

"Takuto do you…"

"Yes." I grabbed her and pulled her close to me. I place my lips on hers, and let everything come back. Yes. I gave up everything for her. My memories. My life. But I had been given a second chance. And Meroko… for her kindness, she had become and angel.

_ Thank you, Meroko._

_ "You're welcome"_

A tear rolled down my cheek and onto Mitsuki's. "I promise. This time I'll make it right."


	2. Izumi

After a few weeks, everything had settled down. At first I thought my new human body would make things more awkward between us, but the opposite happened. Me and Oshige were now frequently invited to Mitsuki's house for dinner, and we were warmly welcomed by her grandmother, though we still kept my past a secret from her and her maid, Miss Tanaka.

Mitsuki's grandmother, Fuzuki Koyama, had changed a lot since Full Moon's last concert. She had become so accepting of Mitsuki's dreams. She was actually helping her get into auditions and buying her karaoke tracks.

"It's nice that Mitsuki has a friend like you." Said Fuzuki. She always made an effort to smile, but Mitsuki told me once that her grandma felt a little disappointed that Mitsuki didn't invite girls, or friends her age over, as often as me.

I sucked the ramen into my mouth, making a loud slurp. My face felt hot when Mitsuki began to giggle.

Fuzuki was away at the time, and I had been invited to her house for lunch with Mitsuki. This happened more than often- sometimes twice a day. I knew her grandmother was uncomfortable with a boy visiting her granddaughter, who was like a real daughter to her, this frequently. But Mitsuki insisted on my constant visits.

I pointed back at Mitsuki and returned the laughter when she also lost control of her ramen. There was a pause, and then we both burst into laughter again.

It felt good to be human again, and not having to deal with the stress of a death spirit. Those thoughts of having to kill. Those memories that called out, but could not be remembered. Invisible to the world. All that was gone. Now All that mattered was me and Mitsuki.

"Takuto." A familiar voice rang in my head.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Mitsuki.

"Hear what?"

"Nevermind."

"Takuto." There it was again. The low, cold, gentle voice of a shingami. Izumi.

I stood up and turned around to face the death spirit.

"T-takuto? What is it?" Mitsuki questioned.

"You can't see him?"

"Who?"

Izumi placed a finger to his lips. "I don't think you want her know I'm here." A smirk slid across his mouth. "Sit down. Go back to eating. I'll talk to you alone later."

I thought it through for a moment, and sat back down. "It was nothing. I guess I must just be tired." Mitsuki blinked, confused. "I promise. It's nothing." I smiled and shook my head.

"I-if you're really that tired, maybe you should go to bed." She crawled across the floor and placed her hand on my head.

I grabbed her wrist and took it off my head. "I'm not sick, silly." I smiled. "I just stayed up late last night." I sighed, and stood up from the table. "I should head home." I shot a glance at Izumi waiting patiently in the corner of the room.

Mitsuki frowned. "Well… ok." She said. "I hope you start feeling better soon! Get lots of sleep!"

I nodded to her, grabbed my things, and wandered out the door, Izumi close behind.

As we walked down the street I sighed. "Alright, Izumi. What is it? Why are you here."

He smiled. "If you think hard enough, I'm sure you can answer that on your own." I noticed something odd in his tone. A slight hint of something other than his usual sadistic self.

What could he mean? I thought, not coming up with any immediate results.

"Think, stupid. I'm a shingami. What are shinigami's purpose, Takuto?"

"For taking the souls of those who are going to-" I choked before I could finish.

"You didn't think that just because you were given a second chance at life, means you were cured from cancer, did you?" His eyes darkened as he began to laugh. "I hate you, Takuto. I hate you stealing Meroko's heart. I hate you for making her disappear. I hate you for taking what every death spirit wishes for!" His smile vanished. "And now… I've been ordered to take your life."

It felt as if my heart stopped beating. As leaf blew by my side, I counted the seconds it took for it to leave my sight. Then I realized I felt it. The same feeling I felt the months before I died. That disease. That cancer that crawled through my throat like a parasite. I rubbed my hand over my neck and swallowed.

"I'm so delighted to have been chosen to be your death spirit, Takuto."

I couldn't reply. I struggled to breath, but I kept moving forward, like a zombie, as if reaching my home and going to sleep would make it all disappear.

"Stop and look at me, Takuto. You can't deny the truth. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can make your final days on this earth worthwhile."

I stopped and spun around. "What would you know?! What would YOU know about dying?! YOU don't remember dying! I remember. I remember everything! You don't understand what you're telling me I have to go through again!"

"You must've realized when you became a human again, that you would die someday, didn't you? You didn't just think that you and Mitsuki would live forever."

"But why now? Why when I finally have everything I could ever want!?"

"The cancer was already there, Takuto. Before you met Mitsuki. This isn't new." Izumi looked down on me with false pity. I knew how pathetic he thought I was.

When I reached Oshige's apartment, I walked straight to my room, ignoring Miss Oshige's note that she would be home late. Ignoring Izumi who, after I shut the door on him, gently floated through with no problem. Ignoring Jonathan popping party poppers at me shouting "welcome back!" (Jonathan is Izumi's partner shinigami.) I walked up the stairs, and fell onto my bed.

I would have to tell Mitsuki at some point. After finally achieving what we longed for. I'd have to tell her that I was going to die.

"How long do I have left?"

"About a week."


	3. For Mitsuki

I ran my fingers through my hair as the sunlight gently poured into my room in Oshige's apartment.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I questioned Izumi.

"Because you only recently became human. I wanted you to accept that before I broke the news."

I lowered my head. This was ridiculous. "WHY?!" I screamed. "Why would they give me a second chance, just to throw it all away again?!"

"Calm down, Takuto!" He laughed. "You're worrying Oshige."

As if on queue, Miss Oshige called up the stairs. "Takuto?! Are you ok?!" I heard footsteps clunking up the stairs.

I couldn't think of anything to say back. I stared at Izumi, thousands of emotions fluttering through my head.

"Takuto?" Oshige reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door. I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything, I didn't want to tell her, but as much as I would deny it at the moment, I think I wanted her to come in. I held my breath as the doorknob turned and Izumi's smile grew.

My lungs deflated as I saw her concerned face.

"Takuto? I thought I heard you yelling in here."

I opened my mouth, but no words left it. Izumi gave me an disapproving stare, but when I failed yet again to speak, he took action. I hear a loud pop as he changed into his smaller plush-like form. Oshige jumped at the sudden appearance.

"Wh-who is this?" She asked.

"I am Izumi. Pleased to meet you." He grinned.

At this, I saw something click in Oshige's mind. "Hey!" She shouted, "You're the one who tried to take Mitsuki's life! What are you doing here? Don't you have some job to be doing or something?"

"I do." His smirk grew. My eyes drifted to the ground and I swallowed hard.

"So then why aren't you-" She noticed me tense. It took about 10 seconds, but finally she connected the dots. "You…" I didn't know if she was referring to me or Izumi.

Izumi chuckled. "A smart one, huh?"

"You think you're going to take Takuto away?!" She stomped her foot. "After all he's been through?! After all Mitsuki's been through?!" She took several steps forwards and spread her arms out between me and Izumi. I knew that couldn't protect me, but somehow it made me feel safer.

He chuckled. "This is my job. Even if I didn't want to, I have to. Unless I want to get in trouble with the superiors like Meroko and Takuto did."

"Well look how they ended up! Meroko is an angel now," I had explained this to her some days before, "And Takuto is finally happy with Mitsuki as a human."

"Exactly." His eyes narrowed. "They've become pitiful. An angel." He scoffed. "What a poor state for Meroko to have fallen into. If only she had accepted her place and become my partner." At which point Jonathan- who I had forgotten was there- piped up about how mean Izumi was for not wanting him as his partner, but no one listened or cared. Izumi continued. "And a human. Why would someone want to go through that again. Being mortal and powerless. Why would you want that, Takuto?"

"… Mitsuki." I whispered.

He lifted an eyebrow. I knew if this were under any other circumstances, Izumi would be a laugh to Miss Oshige. His pudgy plush form made every facial expression very humorous. I suppose my smaller form had been much like this, but I had never really thought about it.

"…Mitsuki?" He replied.

"Because I love Mitsuki…" I slowly regained my speech. "Wouldn't you become human for the one you love?!" His eyes widened when my words caught him off guard. "And living to kill people is no just price for immortality!"

"I beg to differ." His face returned to his sly self, regaining his cool. "Isn't that the perfect price? Taking lives to prolong your own? It's your own problem if you're too weak to pay the toll."

A growl pushed its way up my throat, but Oshige spoke before I could.

"That's not weakness! I consider that strength! To be able to accept and live as a mortal! The strength to die for love!" She was getting increasingly flustered, the words didn't come as fluently as before.

"Oshige." I swallowed hard.

She turned to me with a frightened look on her face.

"Exactly." I whispered. "The strength to die for love. I would have to die some day anyway." I smiled. "This is just sooner than I expected, right?"

She shook her head violently "No! That's not what I meant! Takuto you have to live! For Mitsuki! Do it for Mitsuki- "

"Oshige!" She stopped. I took a deep breathe. "… I am doing this for Mitsuki. I won't let my last week with her be a sad one." I stared at the ground, fists clenched.

A single tear rolled down Miss Oshige's cheek. There was a silence, then she nodded. She looked at Izumi as if to say something, but found no words. She turned to the door and walked out, shutting the door a bit hard behind her.

The room was very quiet. No one spoke for at least five minutes. The little dog plush of Izumi sat on the floor gazing into my eyes. I stood, returning the stare. Jonathan looked back and forth between our faces, awkwardly fiddling with a paperclip he had found on the ground.

"Are you going to tell her?" Izumi finally asked.

"No. Not if I can help it. It'll only make her sad. We wouldn't be able to enjoy my last days here."

Izumi nodded and looked out the window.

Then I felt it. The sting of cancer from my throat.


	4. Hiding

"Eat it!" Mitsuki screamed, jabbing a fork towards my face.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" A hollow chuckle came from my mouth as I grabbed her wrist and resisted her attempts at making my eat the little chunk of beef. "I'm not that hungry."

"But you've hardly eaten anything these last couple of days, Takuto." She pounced across the picnic blanket and stared into my eyes. "I'm worried about you!"

"It's nothing." I smiled. My hand subconsciously brushed my throat. She stared at me for a moment more, then, seemingly giving up, she plopped down next to me and stared at the sky.

"Last year," she started. "I never would've guessed that we could actually make it through like this." Her eyes reflected the clouds. "I mean, I actually became Full Moon, I lived my dream, and I still have my voice." Her huge curls of hair bounced softly in the breeze.

"Mitsuki," She turned her head. Her eyes sparkled, so full of joy, so gentle, as if nothing could ever go wrong. I held back words that wouldn't come if I tried. I couldn't tell her. I couldn't ruin everything we had worked so hard to make happen. "Nevermind." I tilted my head and gave her another empty laugh. She blew her cheeks up and gave me a cautious gaze before returning to her cloud watching.

Before I knew it, three days had gone by. For the most part, they had felt like any other days. No special effort to spend time with anyone. Just normal, empty days. Miss Oshige tried to stay out of my way, saying it wouldn't be her fault if I regretted how I chose to spend my last week.

Izumi kept me within either his or Jonathan's sight as often as he could, making sure I wasn't up to anything funny. They tried to make conversation often, especially Jonathan, but I ignored them most of the time. Any words we did exchange were short and hateful comments, from my end anyway.

"Catch!" Called Jonathan before tossing a ball. It bounced off my head. I noticed it, in fact it hurt quite a bit, but I pretended I didn't even know Jonathan was there. I sat on my bed, legs crossed, reading a library book Mitsuki had given me. I wasn't very interested in it, but reading it was the only thing I could find to do that passed time at the same time as keeping my mind off of recent events.

In the back of my head swirled frightening thoughts. I kept reading, ignoring their existence, but they called out none the less. "Mitsuki has to find out." "When are you going to tell her?" They whispered. "It'll hurt her so much." "You don't have the guts." "You can't do it. You know you can't." They cried. "You're a mess. You only have a week left, and you can't even pull yourself together enough to spend time with Mitsuki." They moaned. "Pathetic!" "Idiot!" "Wimp!" My own voice yelled from the pits of my mind. "Shut up." I moaned out loud.

Jonathan froze, giving my an odd look with his bulging eyes. "But, Ta-ku-to," He whined. "I wasn't talking~" He gently tossed the ball into the air and caught it again.

"Not you…" I muttered.

"But there's no one else in he-ere!" He gently floated over to me, pouting.

"I was talking to myself." I didn't feel up to dealing with him.

"But Ta-ku-to," He called again, even whinier than before. "You weren't talking either~!" I didn't reply. I looked back down at my book and began finding what sentence I was on when I had fallen into thought.

Jonathan didn't try to continue the conversation. Him and Izumi had learned by now that once I decided I was done talking, the discussion was over.

Several minutes later, Izumi glided in through the door- without opening it, of course. I briefly remembered owning this ability. I was certainly more convenient than unlocking and turning the knobs to get doors open. I had only recently broke the habit of running into doors. Being a shinigami had certainly had perks, but it wasn't worth taking lives for.

"How's the book?" Asked Izumi, although he didn't seem very interested in hearing an answer. So I didn't give him one.

"Takuto's so boooring!" cried Jonathan, flying over to Izumi for comfort.

After a long gaze, Izumi jerked his chin at the window. "Go take a break, Jonathan. I'll take care of our little one."

"Yes, Izumi-kuuuuuun." He howled as he drifted out the window. "Have fun, Takutooooo~"

As Jonathan grew small, the distance between us grew far, and I slowly peeled my attention from him onto Izumi. Izumi, however, had learned the routine. He found a place to sit in the corner of the room, and took up interest in observing a beetle run across the floor.

A lot of time passed as I read. There would be an occasional sound from Izumi's corner, usually from him shifting positions or swatting at a fly. We didn't exchange any glances, or bother to ask what the other was doing. In fact, no one spoke until the clock in the corner of my room made a soft tick.

"Midnight." Whispered Izumi. "You have three days to say goodbye."


	5. Running Out of Time

Day One.

Mitsuki lifted her head from a music magazine and gazed into my eyes curiously. "Takuto?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"

I had shown up at her house uninvited, which wasn't unusual for me, but I hadn't come at all the past few days, causing a slight startle.

"I need to talk to about something."

"Finally." She stated, quickly rising to her feet. "Something's been up all week. Are you finally going to tell me?" She leaned forward and tilted her head.

I gulped hard. This was the last thing on earth I wanted to do right now, but I had too or it would be too late. My guilt had won over, Mitsuki deserved to know the truth. "Yes…" I muttered. "About this week."

She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Izumi visited a few days ago…"

"What, really?" She seemed very startled. Realizing she was in for a long story, she sat on her bed and placed her hand on the spot next to herself, gesturing for me to sit as well.

I obediently sat and took a deep breath. "He had important news." I said, making sure she was listening carefully. "You know how I had cancer -like yours- when I died?" She nodded, her face slowly dropping. "Well… I have the same body as I did then."

"What are you saying?" She asked, refusing to come to the realization herself.

I closed my eyes. Warmth suddenly rushed into my fingers. Mitsuki wrapped her hand around my own, filling me with strength. "Izumi. He's come to take me in three days."

Her face froze, and tension began appearing in her eyes. "You… What do you mean?"

I swallowed hard and placed my hands on her shoulders. "Mitsuki." I struggled to steady my breath. "I'm going to die."

All at once she burst, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. "No! You can't!" She screamed, tears forming seemingly out of thin air and pouring down her face like a flood. She pulled me close to herself, burying her face into my chest. "You can't, Takuto! You can't!" She pulled my shirt over her eyes. "Everything is ok now." She sobbed. "We're together finally, Takuto!" Her shoulders dropped and she collapsed into my lap. "We were happy…" I closed my eyes, too scared to reply. Too scare to hold her. Too scared to face death again.

Day Two.

I gazed out the window of the car, holding Mitsuki's hand. She stared down at our joined fingers, deep in thought, with the occasional sigh.

Miss Oshige had offered to take us to a zoo, no doubt an attempt to cheer us up.

Izumi sat next to Mitsuki in the unoccupied far left seat, and Jonathan sat shotgun, since me and Mitsuki had chose to sit in the back where we could sit together. It bothered me, but I didn't say anything, knowing that it hadn't crossed Mitsuki and Oshige's mind that he would be following us.

When we finally arrived at the zoo entrance, Oshige and Mitsuki were quick to unload from the vehicle.

"Izumi." I said while unbuckling.

"Yes?" He answered, not turning his head.

"Can… can me and Mitsuki have this time by ourselves?" It was hard for me to lower myself in front of Izumi, but after all I had been through, it wasn't much if it was for Mitsuki. "I won't try anything funny." I promised.

"No."

"But, Izumi-!" I choked.

He smiled. "It's hurts a lot, doesn't it?"

It was now that I realized. I realized that it really did hurt. And it had this whole time. I had just been refusing to believe the cancer had really come back. I looked to the ground and gave up. I silently slid out of the car, choosing to ignore Izumi once again.

"Takuto-" He called, his voice much softer. "I'll…" He blushed slightly. "I'll watch from a distance…"

I sighed. "…Thank you." I stepped out of the car to greet Mitsuki and Oshige. We all chatted like nothing was wrong, and made our way to the entrance.

The zoo was a blast. I felt so good. My chest was light. There were no secrets and we were together, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. I wished that day would never end. But it did. Because as we were looking at the lions, laughing at one try to snap at a fly, a jolt of pain wrung through my neck. I tried to call to Mitsuki. But everything went black.


	6. If Only This Wasn't Goodbye

The sun rose as we watch for hours in silence. One of my hands rested on Mitsuki's, the other on Meroko's. I looked at each of them in turn, warmth filling my chest.

"I wish it could always be like this." Stated Mitsuki dreamily.

"Yeah." Agreed Meroko, sighing. Her hand gripped mine.

"Why?" I asked roughly, pulling both of my hands away. "Nothing's happening, it's just the sun." I turned my head.

Meroko felt the hand that mine had been ripped from. "You're so insensitive, Takuto!" She shook her finger. "Women love to watch the sunset with their men! It's romantic!"

"And why would I want to be romantic?" I crossed my arms.

Meroko floated into the air, her cheeks flushing. "You're so mean!" Mitsuki stood up and turned to her, worried.

"Whatever." I shrugged grumpily. "I'm out of here, this is too boring." POP! I shifted into my smaller plush form and zipped up into the sky. Something about Meroko's unhealthy crush was bothering me more than usual. As Mitsuki and Meroko disappeared out f sight, I slowed to a halt and sighed.

If only I had realized it then. If only I had been kinder. If only I could go back, and tell her that I loved her before it had gotten this far.

If only.

Day Three.

I struggled to open my eyes, but failed. The world seemed to spinning circles. I couldn't move my body. I heard voices all around me. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were talking about me. One was Mitsuki. One was Keiichi Wakaoji. There were others, but I couldn't make them out.

I tried to lift my hand, but only succeeded in moving a finger or two. Though, unsuccessful, my attempts were replied to by a small had wrapping around mine. I knew that hand anywhere. Mitsuki's.

"He's waking up." Said Keiichi. "Or trying to." There was exhaustion and sadness in his voice.

"Takuto? Takuto, can you hear me?" Mitsuki's voice sounded as if she had been crying for hours.

"Takuto." Wakaoji repeated. "Do you no where you are?"

I shook my head.

"You're in the hospital, Takuto. You passed out at the zoo." I felt his hand pressing on my shoulder.

A voice behind him began to speak, but she was to far away to understand or recognize.

"No." Said the doctor beside me. "I don't even know how he was managing it at the zoo. He should've been here days ago." Mitsuki began to cry again.

I finally managed to crack open an eye. But what I saw made me shut it again. Izumi and Jonathan hovered on either side of the hospital bed.

"It's time." Izumi whispered solemnly.

"Takuto." Meroko's voice rang through my head. I opened my eyes and found I was no longer in the hospital. The ocean lapped at my feet. Meroko stood in front of me, small tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"Meroko?"

She smiled. "You are an extraordinary man, Takuto. You've lived three lives. As a human, then as a shinigami. Then you were granted a second chance."

"Where am I? Where's Mitsuki?"

"And now," She continued. "As a gift. You will be granted a fourth."

My heart skipped a beat. "What? What do you mean?"

"But not with Mitsuki. She will never see you again."

"What?! No! I have to stay by her side! Nothing else matters!"

"And you will. But not like you ever have before." She paused. "Join me, Takuto. As Mitsuki's guardian angel."

"Takuto? Takuto, answer me, please!" Mitsuki cried. Machines all around sang warning beeps and chimes, alerting the doctors that I was fading.

"Mitsuki." I croaked.

She gasped. "Takuto!" She squeezed my hand harder. "Don't leave, Takuto! Don't go!"

"Goodbye."

"No!" She sobbed.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. The heart monitor sang the last song I would ever hear.

Mitsuki screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Epilogue

20 years later.

A small child ran to her mother and father, giggling wildly. Her mother greeted her with a warm snuggle.

Her father smiled and turned to his wife. "Mitsuki, have I ever told you I love you?"

She laughed. "Five minutes ago."

"That long?!" He exclaimed. "How could I have gone that long without telling you?" He lunged across the park bench, pulling her into a hug full of kisses. She giggled as their lips met repeatedly.

I watch in silence from a branch above their heads. As long as Mitsuki is happy, I'm happy too.


End file.
